Incident Overview
An agricultural pilot was practicing aerial application maneuvers while taking off with a load of water. The aircraft became airborne approximately two-thirds of the way down a dirt runway. Shortly after becoming airborne, the aircraft settled back toward the runway. The pilot attempted to dump the water load, but the aircraft did not clear perimeter trees. It struck the trees, crashed into an open field, and was consumed by fire.
Flight Control Examination
An examination of the flight controls revealed that the elevator trim was in the full nose down position. The aircraft's before takeoff checklist specifies that elevator trim should be set for takeoff, which is neutral. Full nose down trim corresponds to approximately 12 degrees above neutral.
Engine and Other Factors
The pilot did not report any loss of engine power during the event. No other anomalies were noted in the available information.